As per the latest reports coming from L’Equipe in France, Arsenal are one of the four clubs alongside Liverpool to have agreed on a deal in principle worth £72m for Nicolas Pepe with LOSC Lille.
The other two clubs are from Italy and they are said to be Inter Milan and Napoli. It is now up to the player to make a decision on his future. On the other hand, Le10 Sport are claiming that race is between Arsenal and Napoli for Pepe’s signature with both clubs in the ‘final stretch’ to sign the 24-year-old.
Speaking on the move, Lille president Gerard Lopez said:
‘For Pepe, we have received four acceptable offers from four big clubs. Napoli have made a bid for Pepe which satisfies our €80m (£72m) demand.
‘Up to the player now to decide where to go, with the contract offers made by the four clubs.
‘Pepe will come back from holiday on Monday and I think he’ll decide in the middle of the week.’
After a stellar season in France, Pepe has become one of the most wanted players in the world and the fact that four big clubs are chasing him is proof of how good he has been. The winger was brilliant for an impressive Lille and he finished the season with 22 goals in Ligue 1 alone.
These performances and his all-round skills have put him on the radar of many clubs and it is no surprise that Arsenal are after him. The North London club have already made three signings so far with two of them being announced yesterday.
But despite those players coming in, none would be as exciting as the potential arrival of Pepe who is one of the best wingers working today. This is something that the club have been lacking for some time now. It will be helpful for the club to have a player with this sort of a profile.
If Pepe were to end up with the Emirates club, he might find the new environment of the Premier League a little tough to deal with but the indications so far are that he can thrive wherever he is. The level of competition for Pepe’s signature means that getting any deal done is not going to be easy.
The thought of having Pepe team up with Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette is one that will have the Arsenal fans drooling over what they can do. But for this to become a reality it is a little difficult so fans must be cautious with their optimism. There is still some time left in the window and anything can happen, we will have to wait and see.
